


Take Care

by satvrnnrings



Category: Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous (Cartoon)
Genre: Be nice to me, Character Study, Fluff, M/M, Misunderstandings, background yasammy and darilynn because i said so, kind of?? lmao, so heres this, uh idk gay dinos, we gotta populate the benji tag with good shit
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-21
Updated: 2020-12-21
Packaged: 2021-03-10 19:28:33
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,576
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28212426
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/satvrnnrings/pseuds/satvrnnrings
Summary: To say Kenji had been relieved to see Ben alive would be an understatement.
Relationships: Kenji Kon & Ben Pincus, Kenji Kon/Ben Pincus
Comments: 23
Kudos: 109





	Take Care

To say Kenji had been relieved to see Ben alive would be an understatement. He wasn’t really sure how to describe how his heart leapt into his throat in the best way possible when he realized the person bravely defending them from a vicious carnivore was the same quiet, timid boy who fell from the monorail all those weeks ago. Obviously, Kenji was familiar with absence making the heart grow fonder, but to him, his feelings for Ben - however they may be labeled - had bubbled to the surface so quickly after the smaller boy’s ‘death’ that they startled him with their ferocity. Kenji had sighed when the thought occurred to him; after all, it was in his nature to never realize what good surrounded him until it was gone. (A similar wave of nauseating emotion and loss had washed over him the day his mother tenderly kissed him goodbye before storming out the door of their mansion.)

Now that Ben was back, Kenji was determined to keep it that way, as were the other kids. Kenji wasn’t the only one to have found himself crushed under guilt; far from it, as he knew from many a sleepless night that Darius cried over letting Ben fall when he thought no one else could hear it, and Sammy’s stray glances into the brush when they walked conveyed her persistent hope that the boy would magically appear, happy and unharmed. Of course, her purposeful naivety didn’t prevent Ben from returning changed. Weeks spent alone with only his adopted dino daughter for company had brought out Ben’s resourcefulness and capability - he knew their side of the island like the back of his hand, his relationship with Bumpy strengthened to the point where the duo could practically communicate telepathically, and the rescued flare gun attached to his hip was effortlessly effective in his hands. However, Kenji would be lying if he said that he didn’t notice an empty look that would fill his friend’s gaze, or how he would tense if someone’s hand landed on his shoulder without an alert beforehand, or the anger that would flash in his blue eyes when one of the campers would bring up needing to look out for him. Ben wasn’t as much of an open book anymore either, he did fine re-integrating himself back into the group but would sometimes withdraw himself for unknown reasons.

Kenji tried to spend more time with him, to somehow mend their relationship that hadn’t started off on the best foot to begin with, and had fallen apart into muted threads without Ben there. He hoped the smaller boy appreciated his efforts, and they seemed to pay off as the two started taking Bumpy out around their camp in the mornings and their makeshift cots moved closer together as nights passed.

It wasn’t that Kenji felt separated from the rest of the campers when Ben was still gone; at this point he considered Darius to be like his younger brother, Brooklynn his CKK buddy, Sammy a constant source of unconditional support, and Yasmina one of his best friends. But Darius and Brooklynn were a duo, Sammy and Yaz were inseparable, and that left Kenji isolated when things got quiet for a bit and the group could relax. Even if they weren’t particularly close before his disappearance, Ben and Kenji slotted together in a way unique to them and them alone, and the hollow space next to Kenji in those quiet times where Ben should’ve fit served as a nagging reminder that his friend was gone. It was nice to have it be filled again, and Kenji didn’t complain as the gap between them gradually closed with each day, signified by little things like their hands brushing as they walked, the smaller boy leaning his head on the taller’s shoulder, Ben letting Kenji keep his fanny pack. “I think you need it more than me now,” Ben had said, which remained in his thoughts far longer than Kenji was willing to admit. It was nice.

Kenji’s immediate thought was to argue with Darius when the younger boy said the group needed to split up and gather items for a communicator to try and radio for help. Some part of him knew it was inevitable given the sheer size of the island, but Kenji feared that separating could spell doom for the kids. He nearly allowed a sharp ‘No!’ to bubble out of his mouth when Darius assigned Ben and Bumpy to a communications tower on the far side of the island, while Kenji would be with Yasmina and Sammy to retrieve a computer and extra wiring. Call him clingy, overprotective, whatever, but Kenji felt an uncomfortable twinge in his heart at the thought of Ben once again off on his own. It wasn’t that Kenji thought he wasn’t equipped, or that Bumpy wasn’t formidable either, it was some kind of warm tension in his gut that couldn’t bear to have Ben out of his sights, have that particular variable out of control, be conscious of a possible loss he could have otherwise prevented if only he was persistent enough, diligent enough, caring enough. The thought gnawed at him in the days leading up to their mission, and he pretended not to notice Ben’s brow furrow when he pulled his hand away, curled in his cot with his back facing the smaller boy, drifted off mid-sentence when they chatted. 

By night before their separation, Kenji’s stomach was in knots at the prospect of having to leave Darius and Brooklynn, but especially Ben behind. Out of all people, he chose to voice his concerns to Yaz, because for whatever reason, he instinctively trusted her to understand where he was coming from. “It’s not that I don’t trust him, or think he can’t take care of himself, because clearly he can, and even if something happens we have the walkie talkies and he has Bumpy so I’m sure it’ll be okay but I’m worried that it won’t be and-”

“You care about him?” Yaz finished, with an arch of her eyebrow and a quirk of her lips, neither of which were meant in a condescending manner. Kenji briefly met her gaze before his eyes drifted down as he sighed. “Yeah. Yeah, I guess I do.”

“It’s gonna be okay, Kenji.” Yaz stumbled a bit over her reassurance, as interpersonal communication wasn’t exactly as well exercised as the rest of her, but continued. “If something like that had happened to Sammy, I don’t know what I would’ve done with myself. She… means a lot to me, and I hate the thought of her getting hurt or lost or damaged in some way. But Ben came back, he literally came back from the almost-dead. We may have taken him for granted - I definitely did - but he’s not powerless. He can do this, and you can do this too.”

Kenji looked back up at the girl, who placed a hand on his shoulder. “We’re going to be alright, Kenji,” she repeated. “Ben’s going to be alright.” Kenji inhaled and exhaled, allowing the tension to leave his body with his breath. “Yeah, okay. Thanks, Yasmina.” He shot a crooked smile at her. 

“Don’t mention it.” She replied with her own upturned mouth,and retracted her hand. “Sometimes, you just gotta talk stuff out.”

“Something you’ve learned from Sammy, I take it?”

A red blush creeped over her features. “Shut up.”

\---

The next morning, Kenji was feeling a bit better about the whole arrangement. The campers split water and rations, each taking their own supplies and weapons, and as Kenji pocketed his trusty butterknife, he heard a rustling behind him that he recognized to be Ben with Bumpy’s heavier footsteps close behind. He turned around, and was greeted by the boy looking a little uncertain. “Hey, Ben. What’s up?” Kenji greeted, trying not to sound too concerned. The boy in question shifted back and forth on his feet a bit.

“Have you,” Ben began, “have you been trying to avoid me lately?”

Of all the things Kenji expected to leave his friend’s mouth, that question was not one of them. Sure, the taller boy had admittedly been a little more… reserved around Ben recently, but he didn’t think that would translate as avoidance. A confused, “What?” escaped him, unbidden.

Ben tensed at that and his brows knitted together. “What do you mean, ‘what’? I thought we were okay, that you were happy to have me back, but you’ve been ignoring me the past few days. If you don’t want to be around me anymore, you can just tell me, you know. I can take a hint.” His words weren’t necessarily angry, perhaps better described as just determined and upset and curious to know why.

“What? Wait, Ben, that’s not what I want at all!” Kenji exclaimed. “I just… ever since Darius came up with the plan of sending everyone off on their own, I’ve been. Nervous.” Don’t get him wrong, Kenji can absolutely talk his ass off when it comes to snide comebacks or suave one-liners, but trying to get his brain to articulate his vulnerabilities in words and not feelings or images is like trying to pull teeth. He slows his sentences a bit, but presses on. “Not to be dramatic or anything but when you… fell, it kinda tore me up inside. I felt so guilty for not trying to help you and I felt super… empty I guess? Without you here with us. And it’s been really great having you back and I don’t want that to change and it’s not that I think anything bad will happen but on an island full of deadly dinosaurs who really knows and I just. I don’t want to lose you again.” Kenji finished breathlessly, sort of in awe of how his emotions looked sprawled out amongst the grass in front of them. He met Ben’s eyes, deep and blue and suddenly flashing with comprehension and something else that Kenji couldn’t quite read. The smaller boy’s lips parted, then closed, then parted again as he began to speak.

“You… you really feel that way? About me?” Ben asked softly, and the words hung in the air between them. 

“Yeah, I. I guess I do.” Kenji replied, drawing closer to his friend at the beckoning of some intangible force. “I didn’t really realize it until you were gone and came back, and I’m not exactly good with expressing myself like this, haha. But yeah.” He felt heat rise on his cheeks at the admittance. He heard Yasmina calling his name from the other side of their camp, and knew it was time to go. For lack of a better parting statement, Kenji gave Ben a quick, “Uh. Good luck. And stay safe.”, then ducked down to press a quick kiss to the other boy’s lips. He quickly straightened and turned in the direction of Yasmina’s voice, smiling a bit as the flush continued to color his cheeks. 

“Wait, Kenji, I-!” Ben called after him, and at the exclamation, Kenji briefly turned around and saluted the boy, whose own face was beet-red - Kenji hoped that meant something good. “Gotta blast, Benny-boy! See you in a few days!” He yelled as he jogged away, grinning large and wide as he approached Sammy and Yasmina. 

“Whaaat did you do?” Yaz questioned, although Kenji was sure she already had her suspicions. 

“Just gave Ben some quick well-wishes.” He grinned again, and the trio set off to grab their parts.

The couple days spent with Yaz and Sammy for company were relatively uneventful, and Kenji meant that in a positive sense. The two were clearly head-over-heels for one another and just a teeny push away from full-on confessing, and so Kenji naturally had a fun time teasing them about it as they went, but they provided calm, protective, and light-hearted presence for varying reasons, and the group managed to grab a computer and wiring with no big issues aside from a close call with a few raptors. Upon their return to camp, Kenji was surprised to see that Darius, Brooklynn, and Ben had already returned from their excursions. He was even more surprised when Ben’s eyes lit up as soon as he spotted Kenji, and rushed towards the taller boy, practically throwing himself into an embrace and cradling Kenji’s face as he leaned in to deliver a kiss. Kenji was at a bit of a loss. “Haha… what’s this about?” He managed in the midst of controlling a gleeful smile and blush from taking over his face. Ben leaned back a bit. “Not much, I just. You talking to me made me realize some things and I. I missed you.” His blue eyes glowed as a matching blush colored his cheeks and an adorably dopey smile spread across his face. Kenji smiled at him. “I missed you too.” A quick cough from Brooklynn alerted the two boys that their reunion very much occurred where the others could see (and therefore, tease), and they abruptly separated, both more than a little embarrassed. 

“Aw, touching.” Yasmina said, looking at Ben and Kenji with a little smirk. “Glad to see you two idiots finally figured it out.”

“Yasmina!” Sammy hissed at her with no real malice. “But I agree. It’s nice to see y’all bein’ all sweet with each other.” She grinned.

Brooklynn nodded, and Darius’s features melted into a happy smile. “Proud of you guys,” he said. “But you know, this opens up the floor to all kinds of teasing in the future.” He raised an eyebrow playfully and Kenji could tell this specifically was directed at him. “Well,” he proclaimed in response, wrapping an arm around Ben’s waist, “if that’s the case, then you better prepare for me to talk all the time about your little crush on you-know-who.” 

Brooklynn glanced at Darius. “Who’s he talking about?”

“Oh, no one.” Darius muttered, flushing. 

“No one indeed.” Kenji said. “Now, can you all kindly give us some time alone? Ben and I gotta work out all the cheesy crush stuff, preferably in private.”

“No problem, loverman,” Brooklynn said with a fond eyeroll as she and the rest of the group strolled off.

Now alone, the two boys sat facing each other. “To clarify,” Kenji started, “you kissing me does mean you like me, right?”

Ben laughed. “Of course it does, you doof. Took me a while to realize, like you said, but you really do mean a lot to me, Kenji. If there’s anything about this whole crazy thing to be grateful for, it’s that I got to meet Bumpy, and Darius, and Brooklynn, and Yasmina and Sammy, and you,” he said with a genuine smile, one that pushed towards the ends of his eyes. “I care about you too, Kenji, and I want to take care of you. I hope you’ll let me.” Ben met the taller boy’s gaze, hopeful. 

“Of course I will. And I wanna take care of you also. No more letting people I care about slip past me.”

Ben scooted closer to Kenji at that. “We’ll take care of each other,” he murmured as he wrapped his arms around Kenji’s torso, grip surprisingly strong and solid as ever. Kenji let his hands rest over Ben’s shoulders and the small of his back, and they leaned against each other in a mutual promise of security as the sun set on Isla Nublar.

**Author's Note:**

> helloooo camp cretaceous nation welcome to my brainrot  
> i didnt expect to like this show as much as i did going into it but now all my brain can think about is gay dino show and it's a big problem but i don't necessarily regret it. sammy and kenji are my faves and yasammy is my favorite ship but given how ben and kenji are set to evolve next season i wanted to write something about it. not really how i expect things to go lol, but just a funky lil take on something that could happen. thanks to camp sapphic and especially liv for giving me some ideas to go off of love u guys<3
> 
> check me out on twitter @satvrnnrings for more Awesome Content *breakdances*


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